title: Supporting communication for children with cerebral palsy in hospital: views of community and hospital staff.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to investigate the views of allied health and nursing staff on supporting the communication of children with cerebral palsy (CP) and complex communication needs (CCN) in hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted 12 focus groups with 49 community- and hospital-based allied health professionals and hospital nurses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants reported having active roles in supporting children's seating, mobility, equipment, mealtime management and psychosocial needs, but not in supporting the children's communication in hospital. Participants described several environmental barriers to supporting children's augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) in hospital, and suggested a range of strategies to ease communication difficulties at the bedside.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results indicate a potential new role for community- and hospital-based health professionals in supporting nurses to implement AAC strategies at the bedside. Supporting nursing staff to remove environmental barriers and use communication technologies might create a more communicatively accessible hospital ward for children with CP and CCN.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Education and the Arts, The University of Newcastle , Newcastle , Australia.
authors.forename: Bronwyn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hemsley
authors.forename: Sabrena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Munro
authors.forename: Nadeera
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Seedat
authors.forename: Kaely
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bastock
authors.forename: Bronwyn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Davidson
mesh_terms: D000488:Allied Health Personnel; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000451:nursing* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D002648:Child; D003142:Communication; D003143:Communication Devices for People with Disabilities; D003147:Communication Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation; D017144:Focus Groups; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D009726:Nurses; D024382:Professional Role; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D012656:Self-Help Devices